Paul's message about the time to see whales in Australia
leads to my question.

When is the best time to view whales along the Northwestern
coast of the U.S (excluding Alaska) and the eastern coast
of Canada? When last visiting Oregon and Washington states
we were continually told "the whales were here" or "the
whales will be here". We visited during the latter part of
April.

If I'm going to plan a whale watching vacation, I'd like to
have real information from people who know.